Grinding-mill.



PATENTBD SEPT. l, 1903. G. N. MOLAUGHLIN.

GRINDING MILL.

a sHImTs-sxnm 1.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18, 1902.

No MODEL.

PATBNTED SEPT. I, 190s.

C. N. MOLAUGHLIN.

` GRINDING MILL. APPLICATION FILED APR. 1s. 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

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PATENTED SEPT. 1,1903.

C. N. MGLAUGHLIN.

GrRII\IDI1\I(:r MILL.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1a. 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

N0 MODEL.

Cam/)1 am/Y M d?? @be UNTTED STATES Iatented lSepten'iber 1, IQOSL PATENT OFFicE.

CUNNINGHAM N. MCLAUGHLIN, OF WINONA, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO NEW WINONA MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF WINONA, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

GRlNDlNG-MILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part or Letters Patent No. 737,953, dated september 1, 1903.

Application led April 18, 1902.

fo @ZZ when?, t may concern:

Be it known that I, CUNNINGHAM N. MC- LAUGHLIN, of Vinona, Vinona county, Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grinding-Mills, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mills for grinding all kinds of gra-in, seeds, and drugs; and the objects of the invention are, first, to provide a hopper which will permit the mill to be belted vertically or horizontally or on either side; second, to provide means for preventing foreign material-such as nails, stones, or sticks-freni entering between and dulling or damaging the bui-s; third, to provide means for separating the burs and holding them apart to prevent them from being` dulled by contact while the mill is running, but not grinding.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

The invention consists generally in a swiveled hopper that is ajustable according to the position of the belting or the bagging-elevator.

Further, the invention consists in providing a feed device that is adapted to be clogged and stopped by hard substances, such as nails or scrap-iron, and prevent their passing into the burs with the material to be ground and to break up such refuse as straws and pieces of wood and reduce it to such size that it will not in any way injure the burs or interfere with the grinding operation.

Further, the invention consists in a camlever device by means of which the `pressure may be relieved on the movable bur to allow it to automatically separate itself from engagement with the fixed bur.

Further, the invention consists in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly.pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section of a grinding-mill embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same on the line a :c of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the bur-casing, the springs for holding the movable bur in contact with the fixed bur, and

Serial No. 103,473. (No model.)`

the cam-lever for compressing said springs to allow the burs to separate. Fig. 4. is a horizontal sectional view of Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6` are details of the feed-controlling device. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the plate whereon the swiveled hopper is mounted, showing the feed device beneathl Fig. S is a section on the line g/ y of Fig. 4t.

In the drawings, 2 represents a suitable base having bearings 3 for a horizontal shaft 4, that is provided with the usual driven pulley 5. On one side of said base I provide an upright casing or shell 6, to which the fixed bur '7 is secured by any suitable means, and upon said shaft I provide a screw feed S, provided with a flange 9, to which the movable bur 10, that is adapted to cooperate with the fixed bur, is secured, all of which is common to mills of this character. The screw feed S projects into a chamber ll within the casing (i, and above said chamber I provide a feedregulatingdevice l2,having a shaft 12,mounted in bearings in said casing and provided with a series of longitudinal wings 13, that are connected at irregular intervals by webs l-i and 15, the former having one or more irregularly-arranged notches 15. A pulley 16 is provided on the shaft 12, connected by a belt 17 with a suitable source of power, said belt being kept at the proper tension by a suitable belt-tightener 18. The edges of the wings and webs during the revolution of the shaft 12 pass close to the wall19, that ncloses said feed device, and should any hard substance, such as a nail or piece of scrap or sheet metal, pass into the feed with the grain from the hopper it will be caught between one of the wings or websand the wall 19 and becoming wedged therein stop further revolution of the feeddevice and arrest the passage of the material to be ground to the burs. The person in charge of the mill will instantly detect the clogging of the feed through the slipping of the belt on the pulley 16 and will understand at once that some foreign substance has lodged in the feed and must be removed before the grindin g operation can be continued. The frequent dulling and possible damage of the burs are thus prevented. As the material passes through the feed device it is discharged into the chamber 11, gathered up by the revolving screw feed, and carried in between the burs. Should pieces of wood or straws be carried into `the feed from the hopper, they will be caught betweenthe smooth-edged and notched webs and the casing-wall and broken up into small pieces, which will not cause injury to the burs or interfere with the grinding operation.

Upon t-he casing G I provide lugs 20, whereon one side of the casting 21, forming alower hopper-section, is hinged. The opposite side of said section is provided with a thumb-screw fastening device 22, adapted to engage a slotted lug 23 on the casing 6 and lock the section 21 in position over the revolving feed, but permit it to be swung on its hinge to one side to expose said feed and allow the removal thereof or that of any foreign substance that may be lodged therein. The section 21 is provided with a flange 24, having a series of lugs 25, secured by thumb-screw fastening devices 26, and these lugs are adapted to overlap a flange 27, provided at the lower end of a casting 23, that forms the base and throat of the grinding-mill hopper. This casting, with the hopper supported thereon, is readily rotatable upon the flange 24, being loosely held thereon by the lugs 25, and permits the adjustment of the hopper' at any desired angle or position with respect to the driving mechanism of the mill.

29 represents a sheet-metal hopper supported upon the casting 28 and secured thereon by bolts 30 or other suitable means and provided with a slide 31, having the usual slot 32 and adjusting thumb-screw 33, by means of which the slide may be adjusted and secured in position to regulate the size of the feed-opening from the hopper or cut it off altogether. I have shown a preferred form of hopper having an inclined or flaring wall on one side overhanging the side or end of the mill and the pulleys, while the opposite wall is substantially vertical, and when the hopper is swung'around, with its vertical wall next to the pulleys, the operator can run the belts therefrom vertically or on an incline, if desired, Without interfering with the hopper, and the mill bagging-elevator, when used, can be arranged on either side of the mill by swinging the flaring wall ofthe hopper around to the opposite side.

The grinding-burs are inclosed by a suitable cover 34, having ahub 35, through which the end of the shaft 4 passes and fits into a socket 36, provided in a cap 37. Suitable washers 3S are provided between said cap and the end of the shaft, and a yoke 39 is adapted to bear upon said cap and presses it firmly against the end of the shaft. The yoke is supported by rods 40, passing through lugs 41 and 42, provided on the cover 34 and the base of the m achine, and these rods are threaded to receive nuts 43. On the outer end of the rods 40 I provide springs 44 between ring or collar 47 loosely mounted on the hub 35 out of contact with the shaft 3 and provided with cam-'surfaces 48 to enter corresponding recesses 49 in the cover 34, and the base of the cap 37 is adapted to bear upon said ring and prevent the lever from slipping off the hub,while permitting its rotation thereon. Vhen the lever is in the position shown in Fig. 1, the burs will be in ntheir grinding position, the pressure of the movable bur upon the fixed bur being regulated by the springs heretofore described. If it is desired, however, to avoid shutting down the engine and mill when not grinding and at the same time prevent dulling of the burs, the operator by grasping the lever and throwing it to the position shown in Fig. 3 can move the cap and yoke away from the end of the shaft, relievin g the pressure thereon and allowing the movable bur to separate itself a sufficient distance from the fixed bur, las shown in Fig. 3, to prevent the points of the two burs from being dulled or damaged by contact. As soon as the operator allows the material to be ground to pass to the burs again he will throw the lever back to its vertical position, allowing the cap to engage the end of the shaft and move the bur carried thereby into its proper position with respect to the fixed bur for grinding. By providing the springs at each end of the yoke 39 I am able to accurately gage the movement of the movable bur, so that it will be a uniform distance all around from the surface of the fixed bur, and the compression of these springs and the consequent pressure of the movable upon the fixed bur can be readily governed by means of the nuts 45 and by the strength of the yoke-springs employed.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a grinding-mill, the combination,with thev lower hopper-section 21 having a flange 24, of a hopper-base having a lateral flange resting upon said flange 24 and a downwardly` projecting flange fitting within the 'hoppersection 21, and movable lugs or ears mounted on said flange 24 and adapted to overlap said lateral flange and prevent vertical movement of the hopper-base while permitting its rotation or ready detachment.

2. In agrinding-mill, the combination, with a suitable hopper, of a feed device having a shaft and provided with a series of longitudinal wings, irregularly-arranged transverse webs connecting said wings, an inclosing casing having a curved, rigid wall conforming to the sweep of said wings and we bs and wherewith 'they form a comparatively close joint, andY between which wall and wings nails IOO II-O

or other foreign substance delivered by said hopper will be wedged to clog and stop said feed device, and a smooth-faced driven pulley provided on said shaft and having a belt that is adapted to slip thereon when said feed device becomes clogged.

In a grinding-mill, the combination, of a hopper, with a suitable casing havinga curved rigid wall and whcreon4 the said hopper is mounted, a revolving feed device provided beneath said hopper and consisting of a shaft having a suitable pulley, wings provided lengthwise of said shaft and cooperating with said curved wall which conforms to the sweep of said wings to arrest the feed of foreign material such as nails, cross webs connecting said wings, some of said webs being provided with nicks or notches, and a smooth-faced driven pulley provided on said sh aft and having a belt adapted to slip thereon when said feed device is clogged.

4. In a grinding-mill, the combinatioinwith a fixed bur, of a longitudinally movable shaft, a bur mounted on said shaft and movable therewith, a cap having a socket to receive the end of said shaft, a yoke engaging said cap, a spring mechanism connected with said yoke for exerting pressure on said cap and the end of said shaft to hold the bur carried thereby in engagement with said fixed bur, and means for relieving the pressure on the end of said shaft to allow said burs to separate, substantially as described.

5. In a grinding-mill, the combination,with a fixed bur, of a longitudinallymovable shaft, a bur provided thereon and normally in engagement with said fixed bur, a cap having a socket to receive the end of said shaft,

' a yoke engaging said cap, springs connected with said yoke for holding said cap in contact with said shaft and said movable bur in engagement with said fixed bur, and a camlever device for moving said cap and relieving its pressure on the end of said shaft to allow said burs to separate, substantially as described.

6. In a grinding-mill, the combination, with a fixed bur and its casing, of a longitudinallymovable shaft, a bur carried thereby and normally in engagement with said fixed bur, a casing or cover for said burs having a suitable hub through which said shaft extends, a cap having a socket to receive the end of said shaft, a yoke engaging said cap, springs bearing upon the .ends of said yoke, and a lever having a ring or collar provided with a cam-surface and loosely mounted on said hub between said cover and said cap and adapted when operated to move said cap out and relieve the pressure thereof on said shaft to allow said burs to separate.

7. In a grinding-mill, the combination, with a fixed bur, of a longitudinally-movable shaft, a bur secured thereon and cooperating with said fixed bur, a cover or casing inclosing said burs, a cap having aA socket to receive the end of said shaft, a yoke engaging said cap, rods passing loosely through said yoke and secured to said casing, springs prov vided on said rods, means on said rods for increasing or decreasing the compression of said springs, and a cam-lever provided between said cover and the base of said cap and adapted when operated to force said cap away from the end of said shaft and relieve the pressure thereon and allow said shaft to move lengthwise and the bur carried thereby to separate itself from said fixed bur.

8. In agrinding-mill, a hopper swiveled on a suitable support and having a flaring Wall on one side and a substantially Vertical wall on the other for the purpose specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of April, 1902.

CUNNINGHAM N. MCLAUGIILIN. In presence of;

C. B. BLAKE, S. E. MCCARL. 

